NOTE: As announced in the August 27, 2018 Constituent Update, Constituent Update FSIS began testing all raw poultry samples using the enrichment method to detect Campylobacter and has discontinued assessing whether establishments meet the current Campylobacter performance standards. FSIS will continue to share individual Campylobacter sampling results directly with establishments using existing mechanisms but has temporarily discontinued posting aggregate category results on the FSIS website until sufficient data are generated with the new method and new Campylobacter performance standards are in place.

FSIS posts the monthly reports on the Performance Category of Individual Raw Poultry Establishments and the Aggregate Salmonella Categorization for Raw Poultry Establishments on or about the 20th of the month. For the posting each month in Calendar Years 2018 and 2019, the reference period for category assessment is:

Month of Posting

Reference Period

November 2018

October 29, 2017 – October 27, 2018

December 2018

November 26, 2017 – November 24, 2018

January 2019

December 31, 2017 – December 29, 2018

February 2019

January 28, 2018 – January 26, 2019

March 2019

February 25, 2018 – February 23, 2019

April 2019

April 1, 2018 – March 30, 2019

May 2019

April 29, 2018 – April 27, 2019

June 2019

May 27, 2018 – May 25, 2019

July 2019

July 1, 2018 – June 29, 2019

August 2019

July 29, 2018 – July 27, 2019

September 2019

September 2, 2018 – August 31, 2019

October 2019

September 30, 2018 – September 28, 2019

November 2019

October 28, 2018 – October 26, 2019

December 2019

December 2, 2018 – November 30, 2019

Salmonella Verification Testing Program

FSIS continuously samples (up to five times per month) poultry establishments producing young chicken and turkey carcasses, and raw chicken parts, so that it can more closely monitor an establishment's process control over time. FSIS also continuously samples NRTE comminuted chicken and turkey products for Salmonella.

FSIS uses these Salmonella sampling results to assess establishment performance during a reference period of one completed 52-week moving window based on a 3-category system. Establishments at or below half of the performance standard over the previous moving window are placed in Category 1, those that meet the standard in that period are placed in Category 2, and those that fail the standard in the previous moving window are placed in Category 3.

Performance Categorizations

As FSIS announced in the November 9, 2018 Federal Register, FSIS will post on its website the category status of individual establishments for pathogen reduction performance standards for Salmonella in young chicken carcasses, young turkey carcasses, raw chicken parts, and NRTE comminuted chicken and turkey products, based on FSIS verification sampling results from one 52-week window, but not to include follow-up sampling. As the Federal Register outlines, the category definitions under verification sampling are as follows:

Category 1: Establishments that have achieved 50 percent or less of the maximum allowable percent positive during the most recent completed 52-week moving window.

Category 2: Establishments that meet the maximum allowable percent positive but have results greater than 50 percent of the maximum allowable percent positive during the most recent completed 52-week moving window.

Category 3: Establishments that have exceeded the maximum allowable percent positive during the most recent completed 52-week moving window.

Individual windows are defined as 52 consecutive Sunday-to-Saturday weeks. Category status is determined based on 52 weeks of data, i.e., the last completed 52-week moving window, ending on the last Saturday of the previous month.

Sampling results used in the monthly establishment category assignments are extracted from the FSIS data systems on approximately the 11th of the current month to allow at least 10 days of lab processing time for samples taken before the close of the last moving window to be included. For demonstration, data extracted on January 11, 2018 for the January web posting would include the completed moving window of samples taken through December 30, 2017.